Protecting The Boss. Beverly Long

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СКАЧАТЬ accepted the criticism. He didn’t care about things or that many people. But those he did care about, he protected fiercely.

      Megan, by virtue of signing that contract, fell into that category. That’s all this was.

      By two, his desk was clean. He left an out-of-office message on his desk number and also on his business email. Told Trey he was leaving and waited until his partner was settled in the conference room. Then he got in his Jeep and drove to Everpark to see his mom.

      When he arrived, she was sitting on her porch. Everpark was massive and provided all levels of care. His mom, at almost seventy, required no nursing care and maintained her own small stand-alone condo. But there were neighbors close by who kept an eye on one another. They also played cards frequently, and on nice days could be found on the Everpark golf course. She had access to a dining room, where she could have a meal once in a while when she wanted company.

      It gave Seth peace of mind. “Hi, there,” he said. “It’s pretty hot to be out here.”

      “Yesterday’s rain cooled it off a bit, I think,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting you. I just had lunch.”

      “No worries. Trey and I had pizza at the office. Hey, I got an assignment yesterday that’s going to take me out of town for a while so I wanted to see you before I left.”

      “Is it taking you somewhere fun?”

      “Sedona, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Also Colorado Springs. I’m providing security services for an executive who is opening a line of women’s boutiques.”

      “Are you looking forward to it?”

      Oddly enough, he was. Megan was sort of fun to spar with. Of course, he didn’t want to get shot at again. But now he’d be more vigilant. He wouldn’t be caught off guard again. “It will be fine. But you know you can always call me if you need anything.”

      “You. Any of your partners. I’ve got the whole list. But I’ll be fine.”

      She likely would be. After her fall, she’d remained fiercely independent. But she was alone. “You need anything done around here before I go?” he asked.

      She shook her head. “I also know how to call maintenance,” she said gently.

      “Well, you let me know if they don’t respond and I’ll break some arms for you.”

      She kissed his cheek. “I can always count on that.”

      He stayed another hour, had some tea and some really great chocolate chip cookies, and finally, stood to go. “I’ll call you,” he said. “I’ll be on the road for about ten days and then back in Vegas for a couple to finish up the assignment.”

      “Don’t worry about me. Go. Be safe. I’ll be anxious to hear about your trip when you get back.”

      “I love you,” he said.

      “I love you, too.”

      He drove back to Wingman Security and parked his Jeep. Before he got out, he called Trey. “I’m back,” he said.

      “Okay. The two guys left about a half hour ago. Then Abigail’s husband came and picked her up. No sign of Megan.”

      “Okay. I’m on my way.” He hung up, made sure his vehicle was locked and walked across the street. He tried the door of the building. It was locked. Good girl.

      He knocked and cupped his hands around his eyes so that he could see inside. A wide corridor ran down the middle of the building. The boutique was off to the left and there was a furniture...no, that wasn’t right...an antiques store to the right. It looked like there might be other storefronts toward the back but the corridor was too dark to see much.

      He pounded on the door. Hard.

      And within seconds, Megan exited from the boutique. Looking...gorgeous. When she opened the door, he stepped in. “Thanks,” he said.

      “No problem.”

      He walked in a few steps and looked inside the open door of the boutique. “Wow.” Walls had been torn down to the studs and the old tile floor was half ripped up. A stack of hardwood flooring sat in the corner.

      She laughed. “I know. It doesn’t look like much now but we made a lot of progress today. It will be ready by the time we get back to do the opening here. I’m confident. The same team has been working on our other three stores and I saw pictures today that were awesome. Can’t wait to see these places in person.”

      She looked excited and happy. And now that he was close, he could see the multiple necklaces around her neck and her gold earrings that dangled down, almost reaching her shoulders.

      His fingers itched to reach out, to touch. Give them a little jingle-jangle. But he resisted. He caught a whiff of her perfume and breathed deep. He’d expected something light and floral, but it had a sharper edge and he liked it.

      “So your day went well?” he asked.

      “Of course,” she said, as if she couldn’t imagine anything else. As if bullets hadn’t been flying the night before.

      “So that means no one has shot at you today,” he said. “Yet,” he added, deliberately goading. He wanted her sharp, aware.

      “That’s right.” Her voice remained pleasant but there was a flash in her deep blue eyes that she wasn’t quite so successful in hiding.

      “These your bags?” he asked.

      “Yes.” She walked over and grabbed the handle of the large rolling bag.

      He’d used restraint before but now, he just had to say it. “It’s kind of weird, you know. That we met under the awning of the pizza place.”

      “What do you mean, kind of weird?”

      She knew exactly what he meant. “Weird in that you were already headed for my office later that afternoon.”

      “Yes. I suppose it was,” she said.

      No supposing about it. But he didn’t press her on it.

      “Let me get that,” he said. He grabbed her bag in one hand and his suitcase in the other. She carried her garment bag, her umbrella, and a purse that was on one shoulder and crossed over her body to rest on her hip. It was yellow like her dress with a big white daisy for the clasp. Her shoes were white sandals with a high heel that did very nice things for her calves. And, of course, he was pretty impressed by her pink painted toenails that were clearly visible.

      She was perfect in a cotton-candy kind of way. Except he didn’t think she was fluff. And that made her such a fascinating contradiction.

      She had one weakness, for sure. Her love of her sister. Hard to hold that against a person.

      She opened the door and they were on the sidewalk. She locked it behind them. “We’ve got a big drive ahead of us to Sedona.” She pulled out her cell phone. “Looks as if I missed a call. I had my phone on vibrate. But they left a message. It’s probably the car rental company. СКАЧАТЬ